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Why We Hire Family and Friends

For centuries, children often followed in the footsteps of their parents when entering the workforce. If your father was a farmer or a blacksmith or a fisherman, that is what you were taught, and that was what you were likely to also do when you came of age. The same holds true to some extent […]

Feds at the Door: What To Do … and Not Do

One result of the current business downturn is increased employee complaints about unfair compensation or other discrimination. As it takes just one complaint, justified or not, to trigger a probe. That means getting ready for a visit from your friendly DOL investigators. Here’s how to handle things if (or these days, when) they show up. […]

Chicago City Council raises minimum wage

by Steven L. Brenneman With a mayoral election looming and opponents challenging him from the left, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushed through a Chicago ordinance that will gradually increase the minimum wage to $13 per hour by 2019. Currently, the state minimum wage is $8.25 per hour. The new Chicago ordinance, passed December 2, establishes […]

Most homecare workers entitled to minimum wage, overtime under new rule

A new rule taking effect January 1, 2015, means most direct-care workers employed by agencies and other third-party employers will be entitled to at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) says the change will affect nearly two million direct-care workers, such as home health aides, personal care […]

Taxes: New Tax Notice Must Be Sent to Employees

Employers must give employees written notice of their possible right to take an Earned Income Tax Credit on their federal tax returns, as required by a new California law, A.B. 650, that took effect on January 1. The new provision applies to all employers and employees covered by California’s unemployment insurance law.

News Flash: Important New Wage And Hour Developments

The Industrial Welfare Commission has adopted several important new rules that will have a significant impact on California employers. One big change requires you to pay employees for an additional hour if they work through a break or meal period. The story also outlines the IWC’s new requirements for adopting and repealing alternative workweeks to […]

EEOC to Discuss Leave as an Accommodation

Want to learn more about the use of leave as an accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act? The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity will discuss the topic at a meeting next week. In implementing and enforcing the ADA, the commission makes clear that leave may be a required workplace accommodation for employees with disabilities. In […]

IRS Releases 401(k) Compliance Check Survey Results

There are more than half a million 401(k) plans in the United States, covering 60 million Americans, says the IRS. That is just some of the information in the 401(k) Compliance Check Questionnaire Interim Report, which the IRS released on Feb. 16, 2012. The report summarizes survey responses from 401(k) plan sponsors that filed a […]